Do you guys stick to the 4 bars at a time when you write your raps over a beat. I've been writing songs that are with 3 or 5 bars per beat sometimes with decent results. Just wondering if this is a hard or fast rule

I don’t write, I just be saying s***

You freestyle all your raps?

Yeah, they come out better when I don’t think too hard

I'm trying to do it man, I have written some great raps and I have grown to like my voice a lot but if an instrumental comes on and I try to freestyle I just freeze up

I used to get like that too, just start punching in

there's a thing called prosody. you learn it over time. once you understand it you can write more compelling lyrics.

Do whatever works and sounds dope to u

I looked this up but can you dumb it down for me? Like how it can be applied to writing and recording music over various beats

Two important components of prosody are the number of lines/musical phrases and the length of lines/musical phrases in a section.

An odd number of phrases creates an unstable musical grouping. These groupings serve to create anticipation or release tension within the music.

An even number of phrases creates a stable musical grouping. These groupings are usually symmetrical and support a more conclusive sound.

I feel like 3 stacks is a master of this. (Ex. International Players Anthem)

yea. Jay Z is good too. imo Jay Z is too good at it. EDIT: Also 3 Stacks is too good at it.

meaning it can get annoying when someone is consistently flexing outside of the pocket (especially with unstable groupings). kind of cool sometimes. depends on the energy. though if you're not careful. it could f*** up your song. That s*** happens with JID all the time. not that the song is bad. just he is so good at creating unstable groupings that it creates something hard to jump into. If you don't catch the first few bars, you can quickly get lost in the sauce.

What are some good Jay-Z songs where he showcases this? And what are some JID songs where he f***s it up

This song is a decent showcase.

All 3 verses.

Rick Ross one of the most polished lyricists imo

lol. the songs are good. but if you catch the verses randomly in the middle. it won't hit. I linked a Jay Z verse. imo his verse was overly long, convoluted and lost me. it doesn't always work if that makes sense. I'm saying that the best rappers are so good that they can sound bad without the right context.

EDIT: one of my favorite JID songs.

but the verse is so good that it sounds bad without the right context

Lol I think he bodied the beat honestly. Thanks for sharing

yea. he does. but if you just start playing it in the middle of the verse you don't get the context of the flow. ofc he bodies the beat. I'm saying I've had experiences when the song was already playing and I had trouble figuring out what was going musically because of all the different groupings and flow switches.

Pretty much all of Jay Z songs after this have been like that

Listen to neck and wrist, by Pusah T ft Jay Z

Did you like his verse on this? I'm on the fence about his flow.

I think there is alot of literary devices andreal poetry at play here.

I posted about it in another thread, and i think its disgustingly genius

ktt2.com/why-doesnt-jayz-ride-the-beat-anymore-32517912/2#post-35528700

that's what I'm saying. the flow is not pleasing but there's an underlying structure that creates the effect.

How do you think my flow is on this track I made? I switched it up for all 3 verses. Songs about Alex Morgan, the soccer player. I'm pretty happy with how it all turned out considering it was recorded on my computer using voice memos only

odd numbers can sound kinda weird. i always start with establishing the flow and rhythm then figuring out how to fit the lyrics and message in there